The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-09-17
SHEEP HussANDRY.
Feeding Economies That Can BE Studied
With Considerable Profit.


BY the depression in sheep and wool
matters there has come a necessity for
close economies in sheep husbandry
altogether new. Never before have
sheep-men put more system and care
Iul study into the business than now.
IL has been only this which has kept
the business from widespread aban-
donment. Not only have better sys-
TENS OF pasturage been practiced than
We're ever practiced before, but straw
is being utilized as a general ration for
sheep.
Peas, Leans and bean haulm are fed,
and some foreign Russian fodder plants
nave been introduced, all of which
promise to be real acquisitions to the
sheep-raiser. A more general use has
also been made of roots than formerly.
beets, rutabagas, mangel-wurzels, tur-
nlps and even potatoes and carrots
nave been fed to sheep with marked
benefit Brewers gains, gluten from
the glucose factories, oil cake and cot
ton-seed meal, have been found yalu-
able in connection with coarse hay and
wheat straw, which hitherto have been
esteemed valueless alone or even in
connection with corn, which has been
looked upon in many regions as the
natural feed for all animals as we'll
as sheep. Corn has been so cheap
and SO easily fed that we
have used it to real detriment In the
Middle States the free use of corn has
been measuably lessened for breeding
ewes. A careful study of the question
has convinced many of the bad ecopo-
mics we have been practicing. Hay
was once considered to be not sufi-
Gent feed for wintering sheep They
had to have grain and that grain had
to be corn. Now hay alone, or hay
and corn-fodder, are esteemed proper
and sufficient feed for flock of store
sheep, and for breeding ewes as well
until near the weaving time. There
are men who make success of sheep
raising who do not feed ton of tame
hay to their sheep in ayear. Not
because they think straw, pea
hay, corn-stalks with roots and
some oats and wheat bran, to be far
more suitable and economical feed.
From these methods have come more
health, vigor and profit than we know
of under the old systems of feeding
sheep. Blue grass pastures, which
have been the pride and aspiration OF
stockmen, have been by some replaced
by new seedlings every two or three
years of timothy, red clover, alsike,
red top and orchard grass, as well as
other mixtures of grasses and cloyers.
The use of old pastures has been aban-
doned by many stockmen. Soils are SO
different that what may be so highly
esteemed in one locality, in another,
wise, observing men reject.
There are differences in this direction
that many will wonder at that, never
theless they plainly exist, no ANNA,
relishes variety and change of feeC
and pasturage as does sheep. This has
not been carefully considered, as i
should be and is now to u considerable
extent. There are ailments with sheer
the cause of which may be directly
charged to our false ideas of care anC
feed. We have all awakened to thu
conclusion that corn, corn, corn ha
caused the hog plague. We have con
cluded that any one feed was wron:
for hogs and men, but never though
how nearly we keep Sheep on the sam,
system. A blue grass pasture alone ha
been the perfect ideal of summe
sheep range. We have known that tin
sheep will nip every weed, briar, busl
and green thing they come in contac
with every day, but we hay,
failed to notice why. 1t is the de
mand they feel for change of feed
On the range flockmasters notice som
days that sheep will insist upon takin:
one route from the corral and anothe
day quite different one; that one da
they Will be determined to visit a cei
tain water hole and another far NOR
distant but n different one. The rea
son is plain to us that they know wha
they want and where it is. Some day
they go to the hills and some days t
the level lands We call it a notion O
theirs, but when we think we know
is the desire for variety. We can profit
ably study these matters. There
much to learn of the habits and san
tary needs of our sheep Cor. Far,
and FireSiGe.